The Toxics Action Center names PSNH as one of New England's egregious polluters who have failed to take appropriate action to address their pollution problems.

Schiller Station named top toxic polluter in N.H.

By Charles McMahon

cmcmahon@seacoastonline.com

November 28, 2012 - 2:00 AM

PORTSMOUTH — A New England-wide environmental and public health organization on Tuesday named Schiller Station as one of the reasons Public Service of New Hampshire deserves to be on a list of the region's most egregious polluters.

The local coal and wood-powered plant, along with PSNH's Merrimack Station in Bow, is included in a report released by Toxic Action Network naming the power company as one of top 12 toxic polluters in New England.

The public health and environmental nonprofit selected PSNH as one of the recipients of the "Dirty Dozen Awards," making it one of the companies it says has failed to take appropriate action to address their pollution problems.

The Dirty Dozen Award winners were selected from a group of nominees by a 13-member panel of environmental and public health professionals.

The report — "25 Years of the Dirty Dozen: Past and Current Pollution Threats in New England" — states that Schiller Station is one of the top toxic polluters in New Hampshire.

It has been five years since the organization released its last Dirty Dozen Awards. Claire Miller, senior community organizer for Toxics Action Network, said this year celebrates the organization's 25th anniversary. This year, Miller said the organization decided to start fresh and take a new look at the companies in New England.

Miller said a common thread among companies on the list is that they are relics of the past.

"The Dirty Dozen Award winners are dinosaurs," she said. "Their business practices are antiquated and obsolete for a sustainable future. They could stave off extinction, but they would need to move forward in adopting many of the recommendations we outline in this report, such as implementing efficiency and building clean, renewable energy like wind and solar."

Jonathan Peress of the Conservation Law Foundation said PSNH is worthy of the award.

"Not only is PSNH the most toxic polluter in New Hampshire by a long margin, but their steadfast adherence to a failing business model and commitment to uneconomic and obsolete coal-fired power plants is imposing a big toll on our health and on New Hampshire ratepayers," he said.

Peress said PSNH's Schiller Station is the least-efficient coal unit in all of New England, a fact he said makes its power more costly for consumers.

"In a nutshell, PSNH sells the dirtiest and most expensive power in New England," he said.

Jerry Curran of the New Hampshire Sierra Club said PSNH has polluted the air and water for decades.

"It's time PSNH moved beyond coal, beyond mercury, beyond sulfur and nitrous oxides — not to mention climate change," he said. "Our communities and neighborhoods can no longer bear the costs on our health and environment."

In response to the report released Tuesday, PSNH spokesman Martin Murray said the company has been committed to giving its customers energy that is clean, reliable and as economic as possible.

"Both of the plants named have operated reliably for years, and have provided significant benefit to our customers," he said. "We constantly seek innovative measures to reduce our environmental impact, and both plants have earned awards for their environmental initiatives."

As proof, Murray said both plants have previously earned environmental initiative awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of New Hampshire.

"Our initiatives include the permanent replacement of a large, 50-megawatt coal boiler with a state-of-the-art wood-fired boiler at Schiller Station," he said. "PSNH was the first utility in the nation to make such a significant change."

Murray said the report also relies on data from 2011, which he added does not reflect all of the emission reduction initiatives that are now in place.

"Merrimack Station, with its mercury and sulfur emission reduction system now operating, is one of the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the nation," he said. "Schiller Station meets all current environmental requirements, and it is well-positioned to meet ever more stringent requirements going forward."